


Petals

by Trans_N_Pans



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Frisk (Undertale), After a time skip, But Frisk can save and reset, Character Death, Friends to Lovers, Hanahaki AU, Hanahaki Disease, It's gonna be a long ride kids, Kinda, No More Resets (Undertale), Non-Binary Frisk, Non-binary character, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sans (Undertale) Remembers Resets, Slow Burn, They're 15 before the time skip, Undertale Saves and Resets, Until Frisk has no choice, no beta we die like men, so it's fine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:02:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26079181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trans_N_Pans/pseuds/Trans_N_Pans
Summary: Frisk had ran so many routes since falling down. So many friends found and lost, all thrown away with every new RESET. Their final run was a Pacifist, but Frisk came to terms that they wouldn’t be able to leave the underground with everyone. They had seen the sun so many times, only to end back at another RESET. They assumed it was because they weren’t meant to make it out...or maybe they were missing something that was keeping them there.
Relationships: Frisk/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 61





	1. Reset

**Author's Note:**

> For my newest au HanaTale, feel free to read more about it here:
> 
> https://transnpans.tumblr.com/tagged/HanaTale
> 
> Will try to update once a week or once every two weeks, depending on how I feel
> 
> Also note:  
> Frisk is 15 before a eventually time jump. Sans is 19 before said jump

Standing in the dark abyss, Frisk finally had a clear head again. Next to them was their first friend in the Underground. They had two options before them.

Continue and Reset.

Frisk’s hand lingered over the Reset button. They could still feel the gritty dust between their fingers. Maybe they could just..? Frowning, Frisk looked over to Chara with a look of hesitation.

“ _It’s okay, Frisk...what’s the likelyhood we’ll be violent for a fifth time when we reset?”_ Chara whispered, staring at the options. Even the spirit didn’t seem sure of themselves. Gulping, Frisk nodded. Their last four Resets were one Genocide run after another. It wasn’t their fault, though. Sometimes when they came back, something was just...wrong. It clouded Frisk’s mind up until they had killed everyone and came back to this screen.

“Maybe..” Frisk whispered as they pressed the button.

Reset.

* * *

Opening their eyes, Frisk covered their face to block the light from above. The teen groaned softly as they sat up from the bed of flowers. They had broken the fall, it seemed. Good. Looking around, Frisk whispered.

“Chara…?” As Frisk looked to the left, they jumped, Chara was right in front of them.

“ _Hey...Do you feel normal..? Not uh...stabbey?”_

Frisk nodded, taking a deep breath. Everything felt right. Nothing tugged at their soul this time. Nothing told them to...Shaking their head, Frisk stood up and dusted off the red petals. Frisk had never seen red buttercups until the first time they fell down. It seemed so long ago now…

“I feel normal…” the human whispered as they looked around. The stick was where it normally was. Picking it up, Frisk looked towards the room where Flowey would be waiting for them. This was going to be the run.

They weren’t going to Reset ever again.

Walking quietly, the teen turned into the room and saw him waiting there, the little red flower was waiting with a big grin. It seemed too innocent, but Frisk knew better. He wanted their soul for his own…

Frisk smiled nonetheless as they approached Flowey. They wouldn’t insult Chara or him by using his real name. Without a soul, Asriel didn’t exist anymore.

“Howdy there! It looks like you’ve fallen down?” Flowey grinned up at the human, giggling sweetly. “I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower! Gee, you must be so confused. Since you’re new to the Underground, someone’s gonna have to teach you how things work around here. I guess little old me will have to do” He giggled again. The area around the two darkened and Frisk felt a tug before their soul was pulled out before them. Flowey eyed it excitedly.

“See that there? That’s your soul. The very culmination of your being...Without it, you wouldn’t exist..” Flowey said, voice dropping dulling before perking up.

“Underground, you get stronger by collecting LV, what’s that? Well, LOVE of course!” He bounced excitedly from where he was planted in the ground.

“Can I have some?” Frisk asked innocently, urging the interaction forward. Flowey’s grin grew uncomfortably wide. He seemed to be shaking with excitement now.

“Of course you can! Down here LOVE is given through little white..Friendliness pellets. Alright now, move around get as many as you can!” The bullets appeared before Frisk, floating towards them. Smiling sadly, Frisk stood still and opened their arms out wide. For him, they would let the bullets hit. Just to make him happy.

The pain that shook them was enough to knock them to their knees. Frisk gasped, wheezing in pain as their HP bar showed 1 out of 20. They ached, tears pricking their eyes.

“ _Its okay Frisk…”_ Chara’s voice flooded their ears, filling them with the Determination they needed to hold on until Toriel showed up. Frisk watched as Flowey’s face contorted and twisted into a soulless smile, teeth sharp and eye’s black,

“ _ **You Idiot…”**_ He grinned at them, bullets circling their broken body. Frisk blinked away the tears, shakily holding their body up from collapsing to the ground.

“Did you _**really**_ believe me? In this world its _**KILL**_ or _**BE KILLED.**_ Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this..?” Flowey laughed maniacally “Now, _**DIE**_ ” His laughter grew in volume as the bullets grew closer and closer. Frisk closed their eyes and waited. When Flowey made a confused sound, they opened their eyes and saw Toriel in the doorway, her hands engulfed in flames. The bullets vanished as a ball of fire uprooted the flower and sent him flying across the room.

“Oh dear..” Toriel hurried over to them, Frisk feeling the tears welling up more. They hadn’t seen their mother in so long..not unless they were going to kill her.

“How terrible...Such a horrible creature, torturing a poor, innocent, youth..There there, young one. I will heal you” Her soft voice only made their emotions well up more. Gentle green magic washed over Frisk’s body, restoring their HP to full.

“My name is To-” Toriel didn’t get to finish speaking as Frisk launched themselves into her arms. They couldn’t hold back their sobs anymore. Toriel seemed shocked at first, but returned the hug. It was so warm…

“Oh my...shh...there there..You’re okay, little one. No one will hurt you again, I promise” Toriel comforted them. For a minute, they stood there, Frisk’s sobs fading into sniffles.

“There, do you feel better now, my child?” The goat monster murmured, wiping stray tears from Frisk’s cheeks. Frisk nodded, smiling a little up at her.

“Yes..I’m sorry” They murmured softly. Toriel smiled and shook her head.

“There is no need to apologize. My name is Toriel. I’m the caretaker of these ruins” She introduced herself, taking Frisk’s hand in her own.

“I’m Frisk..” They introduced. Normally Frisk would tell everyone their name after they beat Asriel. However, they were going to do things differently this time. Toriel smiled fondly and nodded.

“I will guide you through the ruins. I wouldn’t want you to be injured on your own” She said gently, leading Frisk out of the room and into the rest of the ruins.

They walked as Toriel explained puzzles and talking to monsters. Frisk listened intently, enjoying every waking second that they were spending with their mother. Once they were left alone with their new phone. Frisk looked to Chara.

“ _You ready to go? We should be able to meet her back at the tree if we go now”_ Chara hummed, looking at some loose leaves across the floor. Frisk nodded as they hung up the phone. They had called Toriel a few times, but knew it was time to move on. Standing up from where they sat at the pillar, Frisk grabbed their a stick and left the room. The human saw the Froggit they had spared early and approached. They didn’t speak the same language, so when the monster started croaking, Chara had to translate.

“ _Hello human. If you would, don’t hurt the monsters here. If you would act a certain wayoway fight until they no longer wish to fight...I implore you, human. Show some Mercy”_ Chara said as they listened to the Froggit speak. Frisk smiled and nodded, kneeling so they could hug the little frog. As they pulled back, they giggled at the Froggit blushing. Frisk waved goodbye to it before heading north into the next little room. They approached the bowl of monster candy.

“ _Remember when you first fell down? You took so much candy that you broke the bowl and spilled it all in the dirt”_ Chara mused. Frisk laughed softly and nodded, taking only one.

“I remember..I was so scared. I didn’t even think you were real back then..” Frisk murmured, pocketing the candy. Chara had tried so hard to keep Frisk on a pacifist route back then, but after Toriel left them alone and they died the first time, Frisk just attacked anyone that attacked them. They had a good amount of LV and EXP by the time they met Sans...Frisk had even killed Papyrus that run, so they didn’t know that Sans and his brother could have been friends with them.

“ _Mm...Well, that was then and this is now. Lets go on. I’m sure you’re getting hungry_ ” Chara mused, floating off towards the door. Frisk nodded as they hurried off towards the next room.

It took them nearly 20 minutes to reach the end of the ruins where Toriel would be returning from. By now they had tied a ribbon in their hair, stick in their possession still. As Frisk approached the tree, they could hear Toriel talking to herself. The phone rang as she came around the tree, obviously spotting Frisk as her eyes widened.

“Frisk! My child what are you doing here? Are you hurt?” Toriel inspected them frantically for anything wrong. Frisk smiled and shook their head.

“No, mom. I’m okay” They smiled up at her. The human’s words seemed to calm Toriel. She smiled softly and nodded.

“Good. I’m sorry I took so long, but I was trying to put together a surprise at home for you..I hope you can forgive me for leaving you there” She apologized. Frisk grinned at this and shook their head again.

“It’s okay. I actually made a bunch of friends on the way. The monsters here were really nice once I talked to them” They said as Toriel took their hand.

“Really? That’s wonderful my child. I’m very happy you were safe on your walk here. Come, I wish to show you your surprise” The goat monster smiled warmly down at Frisk. Even now, after so many times hearing these words, Frisk was still genuinely excited to get the slice of pie from their mother.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they walked to the quaint little house. It sat at the end of the ruins. Built into the cavern walls, the smooth stone was a welcoming sight. Frisk had missed being home…

“Here we are, my child” Toriel smiled as she opened the front door. Warmth washed over Frisk as they stepped inside. The welcoming yellow walls were a happy sight for Frisk and a sweet smell was wafting through the house.

“Welcome home” The goat monster murmured, taking Frisk down the hall to a door.

“This is your room. I hope you will like it” She said and paused before petting Frisk’s hair gently. The human smiled before Toriel hurried off, muttering something about ‘burning’. Frisk sighed once they were alone.

“I missed her..” Frisk murmured as they walked inside the bedroom. The red walls were the same as always, the one bed to the right sitting untouched. They were just a tad bit too big for it, but Frisk didn’t mind.

The teen had slept in worse places before falling down.

“ _Comfy?”_ Chara mused as Frisk flopped down onto the child’s bed. They grinned and nodded, enjoying the dusty blanket...not monster dust, just..regular dust. Frisk’s face twisted up in displeasure at this thought. With one misstep in their thoughts, now they had a sour taste in their mouth.

“Mm..I wish we could stay here forever...but I know we can’t..I don’t wanna fight her again…” Frisk murmured with a sigh as they rolled over on the bed.

“ _Don’t worry about that right now...just take nap and eat some pie..”_ Chara mumbled as Frisk tried to relax. Within minutes, Frisk fell into a restful sleep.

* * *

Frisk wasn’t sure how long they had been asleep. It varied depending on the run, but Frisk assumed this was a long nap. They were feeling well rested as they sat up. Frisk’s unruly hair was sticking up in every direction. It didn’t bother the human, though.

“ _Good morning, sleepy head”_ Chara mused from where they were sitting by the slice of pie on the floor.

“Morning..?” Frisk asked with a frown. Had they slept all evening and night…? That was new…

“ _Mmhm. I watched the clock and wandered around all night. You stayed asleep the whole time. Mom checked on you a few times. Eat up, we got stuff to do, Frisk”_ Chara hummed, glancing longingly at the pie. Frisk felt bad for them...Chara hasn’t been able to eat their mom’s cooking, talk to her...anything. Maybe this time they could eventually tell her about Chara. Just, not until the end. If Frisk told Toriel now, they’d never get to leave the Ruins.

“Alright...we can eat and I’ll..I’ll…” Frisk hesitated. “...Could we possibly just stay a little longer..?” Frisk asked as they slipped down to the floor with Chara. There was silence between the two teens as Frisk ate the slice of pie.

“ _I mean..We can stay the rest of the day, at least. It wouldn’t hurt, I guess”_ Chara admitted after a minute. If they were lucky, they could figure out how to break this hellish cycle and have their happily ever after with Toriel and Asgore…

“Okay...We’ll be back with mom before we know it…”

Once they were done eating, Frisk stood up and ran a hand through their hair to sort out any tangled locks. Yawning, Frisk walked to the door and opened it. They could hear Toriel humming a soft tune in the other room. Though they had done it so many times before, Frisk explored the house. They fixed their hair in the mirror, giggled at jokes in Toriel’s journal, looked through some books, and then finally went to see their mom.

“Oh, you’re awake! How did you sleep, my child?” The goat monster asked as she closed her book. Frisk hummed as they sat by the fireplace.

“I slept really good. I liked the pie. Do um...Do you think we can go look for snails and bugs? I think it’d be a lot of fun? Maybe we can explore the ruins? I saw a bunch of buildings…” Frisk asked hesitantly. Toriel seemed surprised, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Absolutely! The ruins are small, but there’s a few places off the path that are perfect for snail and bug hunting!” She said, sitting her book aside. Frisk felt their heart lighten at her excitement. They never had the chance to do this before…

“Okay! Can we go now? I wanna see everything..” They smiled up at her. She smiled widely and nodded.

“Of course, my child! We can leave right now” Their mother stood immediately, helping Frisk up off the floor.

“ _I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time…”_ Chara said from beside Frisk. Frisk didn’t respond, unable to as they and Toriel left. Frisk carried a basket for their mother as they walked hand in hand. All the while, Toriel was spouting off random snail facts. Frisk loved it.

As they came to the room with the toy knife, They took a door Frisk never noticed before. It led to the mostly empty buildings they had seen below and…

“Whoa…” Frisk murmured as they looked around at all the flowers. There were so many beds of them, different types and colors of flora. “They’re so pretty…” They said as the two of them passed by.

“...They are. Come along, Frisk.” Toriel murmured, her voice layered with a sadness that Frisk hadn’t heard before. Frisk was confused, but decided to drop the subject for now. They could ask later…

“Okay, mom…” They said, tearing their eyes away from the flowers. How had they never noticed these?

* * *

For hours, Frisk spent time with Toriel. They dug through the grass, laughing and talking while they caught snails and bugs of varying shapes and sizes. It was different, but it was fun. Frisk never knew playing in the dirt like they were a kid would be fun. Maybe it was because of who they were spending time with? Frisk didn’t know. Now, they were wandering back towards the house. There were some monsters in the lower Ruins, but they didn’t approach. Frisk waved at them, nonetheless. They were intimidated by Toriel and Frisk couldn’t blame them. They loved their mother, but she wasn’t a force to be reckoned with.

“So..Why are there so many flowers here? I’ve never seen anything like them on the surface..” Frisk started, seeing Toriel’s expression twist into a frown. “Like the red buttercups I fell on..” And as those words left their mouth, Toriel’s head snapped downward to look at Frisk.

“Please, my child. I do not wish to speak about this.” She said sternly. It surprised Frisk. Sure, they had never asked about the odd buttercups in other runs, but they never expected Toriel to have a reaction like this.

“But-” Frisk tried to speak, but Toriel looked away with a sad but hardened look.

“No, Frisk. Don’t ask again..” She said, making it clear that the conversation was over. Falling into an uncomfortable silence, the two continued on their walk home. Frisk’s curiosity only grew as they arrived back home. However, there wasn’t time to broach the topic again...Frisk wanted to stay forever here in this tiny home..but..

* * *

“How do I leave the ruins..?”

Toriel’s expression shifted through several emotions. First it was surprise, then sadness, before she settled on a neutral look. Frisk had to harden their soul for this. It was never easy to leave...Emotionally or physically.

“What do you mean, my child? Why would you need-...Ah, would you like to hear about my book? Its about different snail facts?” Toriel tried to sway the conversation away from Frisk’s question. Frisk frown and gripped the stick they had retrieved from their room.

“I want to leave, mom..How do I leave the ruins?” Frisk asked. Toriel flinched at being called mom in such a situation. It hurt, but this is what Frisk had to do.

“...I must attend to something. Go to your room, please..” Her tone was empty as she took off her glasses and stood up. Frisk watched her leave the room quickly. Taking a shaky breath, they followed. It was now or never.

Walking down the hall slowly, they went downstairs and into the final hallway to the exit. Toriel paused as she heard them approaching.

“What are you doing, Frisk. I told you to wait upstairs..so be a good child and go back to your room” Toriel muttered darkly as she continued down the hall. Frisk didn’t listen as they continued after their mother. Toriel seemed more annoyed this time, growling lowly as she looked over her shoulder.

“Do you not understand? You naive child...if you leave these Ruins, do you know what will happen? They...no, _**Asgore**_ will kill you without mercy. I only wish to protect you. Go. Upstairs. Now.” She hissed as she turned another corner, her hands already smoking. Frisk was shaking as they pushed forward. Chara seemed visibly upset as well, but said nothing as they reached the door. Small flames flickered at Toriel’s fingertips, her back to them.

“This door leads to the end of the Ruins...I’m going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave...If you truly wish to leave..” Toriel spun around to face Frisk. The room became engulfed in flames as a ball of fire flew at them.

Frisk ducked and rolled out of the way. The fight had begun.

“Prove to me you can protect yourself! Fight me!” Toriel growled. Frisk pushed themselves to their feet, seeing the options appear with their soul. They had Saved outside the house, but after so many times of going through this fight, Frisk didn’t think they would die here. Before Toriel could attack again, Frisk hit the Mercy button. Of course Toriel was surprised, but didn’t let up. Frisk continued to dodge and spare her, despite her protests.

“What are you doing?!” Toriel hissed.

Frisk spared her.

“Run away or Fight!” The attacks became stronger.

Frisk felt the heat on their face as they spared Toriel again.

“If you don’t I- You’ll-” Her attacks started to die down

Frisk spared her.

“Please…”

Spare.

“If you would try, we could be happy here…”

Spare.

“We could have days like today…”

Spare.

“Can’t we be a family..?”

Spare.

They were standing there now as the pillars of fire sizzled out into nothing. Frisk’s trembling hand was held over the Mercy option, eyes hard set on Toriel. The goat monster chuckled, then laughed sadly as tears pooled in her eyes.

“Its sad, is it not…? I can’t seem to save a single child…” She whispered as she returned Frisk’s soul to their body. Sniffling, Toriel wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her gown.

“No..No, I understand...You’re a growing human and these Ruins are very small. You would only be miserable. It would be cruel to keep you here...” Toriel murmured. Frisk walked closer and said nothing as they hugged her,

“It’s okay, my child...when you leave, I have only one request. When you leave, please..don’t come back..” Toriel whispered as she dropped to her knee’s to hold Frisk close to her. It broke Frisk’s soul to hear those words, but they understood.

“I’m sorry, mom...I love you” Frisk murmured as they pulled away. Toriel smiled sadly, wiping a stray tear from Frisk’s cheek.

“I love you too, Frisk...please, be safe..” Those were the last words Toriel spoke to them before leaving them by the door. There was no telling how long Frisk sat there and cried. If Toriel was upstairs anywhere, she could surely hear their screams and sobs. These emotions had built up over all the resets and had no release until now. Chara could only offer their presence as support, but it was enough. Finally, after they had no tears left to cry, Frisk took several deep breaths. Wiping their red and puffy eyes, they were ready to go. Grabbing their stick, they left to Save once more upstairs.

Then, they returned to pass through the heavy doors.

Walking into the new room, the menacing red flower was waiting for them. He held a cocky expression that almost annoyed Frisk. They knew better, though. Flowey couldn’t help his behavior..

“Clever...Veeeery clever” The flower giggled smiling as Frisk approached. “So you spared the life of a single monster. Big deal. You’re playing by your own rules, but what will you do when you meet a relentless killer? Oh you’ll die...and you’ll _die_...and _**DIE!**_ ” Flowey's eyes blackened and he laughed as black ooze dripped from his mouth.

“Eventually you’ll give up and relinquish power to _me!_ I’m the _Prince_ of this world’s future, but don’t worry my little monarch. My plan isn’t regicide” Flowey’s face was cheerful again as Frisk stared down at him.

“No, no...This is different. I like it. See you around.” He winked at Frisk before vanishing into the ground. Frisk hesitated in the empty room, looking at Chara.

“I’m saving him this run...Someway...somehow…” Frisk murmured with a look of Determination, gripping their stick tightly in hand. Chara had an unreadable expression, simply nodding at this declaration. Pushing onward, Frisk stared down the long hall that led to the snowy area of the Underground. Snowdin. Their footsteps echoed loudly around them as the door got closer and closer. Something felt wrong in their gut. Like a bad feeling you got before something would happen.

“Do you feel something wrong too…?” Frisk asked Chara quietly as they stood before the doors. They had been closed for so long that vines were covering them. Chara nodded in their peripheral, looking confused and worried.

“ _Yeah...Something feels wrong in the air…”_ The spirit mumbled as Frisk pressed their hands against the door. It took some force, but finally, Frisk managed to push the door open. A cold rush of air blasted them in the face as the peered outside.

There was the smell of magic in the air.

“ _Didn’t I tell you not to come back?_ ”

Frisk had no time to react.

Their soul came into view.

Their mouth opened to scream.

A Gaster Blaster vaporized them immediately.

Their soul…

Shattered.


	2. Lost Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings ahead for:  
> Panic attacks  
> Temporary death  
> No Mercy

This was their punishment. This was the hell they had brought onto themselves. Every Reset had led them to this point. If they had just gave up and sat in that emptiness for eternity, none of this would be happening. Flowey’s mocking voice was ringing around their skull..

_**“What will you do when you meet a relentless killer? Oh you’ll die...and you’ll die...and DIE!”** _

_“Breath, Frisk…”_ Chara’s voice brought Frisk out of their thoughts. _“If you don’t calm down, you’re going to have another panic attack”_

Was that this feeling in their chest? A panic attack? All Frisk knew is that they felt like they couldn’t breath. Their body held no wounds but their soul ached. In other runs, Frisk had learned that they would feel phantom pains after dying too many times. In a genocide runs, where they would die the most, it didn’t have the same effect. When Frisk was like that…

They couldn’t feel anything…

But in this run, they were clear headed and fully aware of their own soul. Frisk’s hands trembled as they stared at the door with wide eyes. Sans was waiting patiently on the other side. He didn’t care about waiting. Frisk had learned this quickly. After the first death, Frisk tried to wait him out. They sat there for hours. Maybe it was to get past him, maybe it was because Frisk was too scared to face him again, it didn’t matter. Sans was still waiting right there for them. 

_“You got a few words in last time..it’s okay Frisk..We’ll get past this..”_ Chara said, though they didn’t seem too confident either. Frisk gulped, but nodded. They had the first attack’s memorized at this point.

“O..Okay...Okay...I can do this…third time’s the charm..” Frisk whispered to themselves as they took a few steps. To do this, they couldn’t waste time trying to get the door open carefully. Bracing themselves, Frisk ran and threw all their weight into the door. They didn’t weigh that much, but it was enough force to let them slip out. 

Frisk heard the whirring of the Blaster and felt the tingle of magic in the air. They needed to be precise for this...nothing could be off. 

Forcing their head into their chest, they felt the white hot power of the blast pass over their head.

“Heh. You’re getting better at this, huh?” Sans empty voice sent chills down Frisk’s spine as they planted their feet in the snow and forced themselves to jump back away as sharpened bones exploded from the ground. They had landed at too low of angle, though. Frisk gasped as their leg was slashed by the attack.

_“You get enough practice last Reset?”_

Frisk didn’t have time to feel bad. They threw their stick away from them as their soul turned blue. No weapon, no attacking. Their leg throbbed, but Frisk had to focus.

“Sans dont-! Check me! _Check m-_ ” Frisk screamed in desperation, but their world went black as the felt another bone pierce their soul. Their scream echoed into the empty void. Frisk felt their legs give out. Their body crumpled in on itself as they screamed and cried. Frisk felt like their soul was still shattering, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces. 

_“Frisk! Frisk it’s okay!”_ Frisk heard Chara before they felt arms wrapping around them tightly. It was in death that they were both able to physically interact with one another. Chara embraced Frisk as they cried.

“I can’t do it again! I _can’t do it!_ ” Frisk sobbed as they clung to their friend. The spirit pulled the human’s face up to look at them. Chara’s eyes were serious as they peered into Frisk’s eyes. Chara’s eyes were red like cherries while Frisk’s were warm like sunflowers. Though Frisk’s eyes were filled with tears right now, they still held a warmness to them.

_“Shh. Listen to me. You’re the strongest human that’s ever fallen into the Underground. You can do this”_ They said seriously. Frisk hiccuped and sniffled. 

_“I’ve never seen anyone get as far as you have, over and over again. You’re strong. You can do this.”_ Chara said once again, wiping Frisk’s face clean. Frisk took their words to heart, nodding as they calmed their shaky breathing. Chara was right. They could do this...they could…Standing up, Frisk hit the Continue button with force.

They were filled with **Determination**.

* * *

With a blink, Frisk took in their surroundings for only a moment more. They were outside of Toriel’s home again. Frisk was glad they had Saved after that fight. Running inside and down the stairs, they hurried to the first doors. Frisk would apologize another time, ignoring Flowey and rushing past him. Surely he already knew they had talked to him already.

Still, Frisk had to ignore the annoyed shouting from the flower as they ran up the corridor. Fear rushed through their veins, but Frisk wasn’t about to give up now. They slammed into the door with more force than they had before. Unfortunately, that led to falling out into the snow. Frisk’s heart dropped as they pushed themselves up, falling back on their back and pushing themselves backwards. The teen surely looked like a frightened animal. 

Instead of being torn apart by bones, Frisk was staring back at Sans as he was casually leaned against a tree. No attack at the ready. 

_“Ah ah”_ Sans hummed as their soul was pulled out and turned blue. Frisk was flattened out on the snowy ground. The heat of their body was slowly melting the snow around them, soaking their sweater with freezing water. “No moving, _kiddo_ ” Sans mused in a lighthearted tone, but his eyes were pitch black. Frisk had no choice but to lay there, trembling as adrenaline left their body, fear replacing it.

Sans seemed to be looking at something with interest. Finally after a minute, their soul was back in their body. Frisk was staring at Sans with bewilderment.

_“He’s sparing you”_ Chara sounded just as surprised.

“Heh heh...Sorry about that, bud” Sans said lazily as if he hadn’t just killed Frisk minutes ago. Frisk just stared at him as they slowly got up. 

“Can you really blame me?” Sans tense smile turned away from Frisk. “After all, the last times you came back.. ** _you killed us all_**. Remember?” 

Frisk flinched at his words. Their lips parted, but Sans stopped Frisk before they could speak.

“ _Save it_. I don’t wanna hear whatever shit you’re about to spew. I don’t know what game you’re playing, trying to act like you haven’t killed us all four times over, but I don’t care. Listen to me and listen to me good, kid. You’re gonna keep doing whatever it is you’re doing...but so fucking help me if you get a speck of dust on you... **You’ll wish you stayed dead** ” Sans was then gone in a blink. Frisk was left in the snow, silent in shock. 

That’s when the tears started. 

Frisk didn’t cry as much as they thought they would. Their soul was aching and their legs felt like jello, but Frisk knew they needed to get up...Papyrus would be up ahead soon. If they were going to fix the timeline, Frisk needed to play this run at least somewhat like normal…

Then again, normal already went out the door.

Standing on trembling legs, Frisk trembled from the cold now. They were soaked from the snow. The teen didn’t have enough gold for the inn yet, but hopefully they would after sparing some monsters on the way. It’d be nice to take a break and warm ups...wiping at their eyes roughly, Frisk wandered down the snowy path towards Sans’ sentry stand. 

Usually, Frisk would get there before Papyrus, but this too would be different. As Frisk arrived, so did Papyrus. The two stared each other down before the taller skeleton spoke.

“Oh...uhm..Hello there, human…?” He said, obviously in shock at what he was looking at. A tight grip on Frisk’s shoulder made them jump. In their peripheral, Sans was smiling lazily, though his hold on Frisk was becoming painful.

“Oh, sorry bro. Found this thing on my patrol” Sans said nonchalantly. Frisk kept silent as Papyrus stared them down. His face went through a mix of emotion before he huffed in a childish manner.

“ _You_? Doing your _job_? _Now of all times_?” The taller skeleton stomped his foot in annoyance. He paused and crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot. After a second, Papyrus seemed to perk up, pointing.

“ _Aha!_ As a not soon to be or official member of the Royal Guard, this capturing is null and void! I am sorry, brother, but I have to ask you to expend more energy to assist me in recapturing the human!” Papyrus declared. Sans was silent a moment as he released Frisk, who sighed in relief.

“Sorry bro, I’m _bone_ tired now” He said with a casual tone. Frisk, however, could hear the slight undertone of tenseness. The taller skeleton groaned in annoyance at the pun.

“ _Sans!_ ” He stomped his foot again. “You’re making a mockery of us in front of the human!” 

“Sorry bro” Sans mused. Papyrus huffed, but nodded.

“Good. Human! With or without my brother’s help, be prepared! For you shall face many a puzzle! All designed by me, the Great Papyrus, to capture you!” The boisterous skeleton laughed as he left down the path he came. 

Once Papyrus was out of sight, the feeling of magic in the air startled Frisk. They spun quickly, falling backwards into the snow. Was Sans attacking them? Were they about to die again? Scanning the area around them, Frisk realized it.

_Sans had left._

Frisk sucked in a breath they didn’t mean to hold, digging their fingers into the snow. The icy pain was grounding and helped them calm down. Sans wasn’t about to hurt them..he was just taking a short cut.

“ _Fuck_ ” Frisk whispered under their breath. It wasn’t very often that the teen cursed. It reminded them too much of their surface family...but they were, understandably, very overwhelmed.

_“You okay, Frisk…?”_ Chara whispered, though Frisk was the only one that could hear them. Frisk nodded weakly as they stood up. That was a lie.

“Yeah…” Frisk muttered as they started walking. Papyrus was surely waiting for them.

* * *

Going through Papyrus’ puzzles was exactly what Frisk needed to cheer them up. While they were easy to pass through, Frisk took extra long on them. They messed up on purpose to make their old friend smile. When Frisk finally finished them, Papyrus was beaming and ever more determined to catch them. It was fun. 

Frisk was coming to the final ‘Puzzle’ now after sparing Greater Dog. They gave the pup one last pet before he bounded off over the long bridge. Frisk followed shortly after, stopping as they spotted Papyrus and a bored looking Sans.

“Halt there, human! You shall proceed no further!” Papyrus grinned, hands planted on his hips. “For this is my final and best puzzle!” He said as the 'Gauntlet of Deadly Terror' was revealed. Frisk listened to him explain it and fell into their thoughts.

‘ _Maybe…_ ’ Frisk thought to themselves as Papyrus was delaying the puzzle. Finally, the skeleton deflated.

“...Actually I-” Papyrus started, but Frisk cut him off.

“It’s okay Papyrus! Start it up!” The teen grinned. Papyrus seemed surprised...and so did Sans. His interest turned from a stray pebble, looking at Frisk with confusion in his eyes.

_“Uh...Frisk are you sure about this…?”_ Chara said nervously. 

“Are-” Papyrus started once more, Frisk speaking up again.

“I’m sure!” Frisk assured, replying to both the skeleton and the spirit. Papyrus hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Well. I see. So be it, human! I wish you luck!” He said as magic filled the air.

As promised, the Gauntlet began to move. It was amazing and terrifying to see it in action. It was as deadly looking as the name suggested. Steadying themselves, Frisk took their time to inspect the way every piece moved. It wasn’t randomly moving, they discovered. As daunting of a task it seemed, Frisk thought they could get it on the first try.

“Alright” They murmured to themselves as they took a few steps back. 

Then they ran.

The first obstacle was the spiked ball swinging in a circular motion while flames shot periodically under it. If they were off in their timing, Frisk could get hit with the fire magic or physical weapon. 

They were a little off, but the fire only hit the back of their foot as Frisk vaulted over it. If this was their first run, Frisk would never have been this good at moving around. They had become more agile after all the runs they had done so far.

The next issue was the spears. They crossed each other with each jab, meaning Frisk needed to wait for an opening to run through. To do this, Frisk ducked down to avoid the spiked ball, scooting backwards. For a second, Frisk watched the spears. They weren’t moving too fast, thankfully, so the teen was able to dart past. 

Finally, Frisk was at the last part. The oblivious little dog was just dangling, doing nothing,as the canon took aim on the human. They weren’t able to sit still for this one. Now, they had to dodge the projectiles while they pondered how to get the dog loose.

It probably wasn’t required to get the dog down, but Frisk felt bad leaving the pup there. It took a minute of thinking, and nearly getting a cannonball to the face, for Frisk to get an idea. There was a pause in the firing, giving them an opportunity. Frisk rushed the canon, using it to jump up and grab the rope. It took a second to pull the dog loose, but they dropped back to the bridge and ran the last few steps to the skeletons. 

The brother’s were standing there, Papyrus in awe and Sans’ expression unreadable. Frisk was panting as they held the little dog close to their chest. They did it. _Holy shit_ , they had done it!

“...I-” Frisk started to speak when they noticed Sans’ eye flash blue. Again, fear pierced their soul, but a thud to their left took their attention. Another cannonball lay in the snow. Sans chuckled weakly, shoving his hand back into his pocket.

“Hey bro...might wanna turn that thing off” the shorter monster mumbled, Papyrus snapping out of it and seeing the cannonball as well.

“ _Oh_ -” His voice had an undertone of panic as he shut off the puzzle. Frisk shook their head, calming themselves as they put the dog down. It ran off as Frisk smiled up at Papyrus. Before they could even speak, the taller skeleton scooped them up in a hug, spinning them around excitedly.

“Human! That was _astounding_! I- I’m utterly speechless! I can’t even believe you _did it!_ ” He laughed and sat them back down. Papyrus’ cheeks dusted orange before he chuckled nervously.

“Ah..Sorry. Bravo indeed human! Nyeh heh..” He hurried off after that. Frisk and Sans were alone again. The two stood in silence for a moment before Sans spoke.

“What exactly are you playing at, kid? What’re you trying to accomplish with all this?” He asked, looking at Frisk with a furrowed brow. It looked like he was trying to read something in Frisk’s face, but wasn’t finding what he was looking for.

“...I’m not playing at anything, Sans...I’m done Resetting..I just wanna go to the surface and be happy with everyone...I just need to find out what I’m doing wrong first. Something is keeping me here too…” Frisk murmured as they walked past Sans and paused.

“Hey...Can you remind me about blue attacks..? For when Papyrus tries to fight me..?” They murmured, looking at the skeleton. Sans was quiet for a moment before he smiled weakly.

“Heh...Just remember _**blue** stop signs_” He informed as Frisk smiled and went on their way.


	3. A Fight And a Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one, but the next chapter isn't going to detail Frisk's while journey through Waterfall, sorry :( I didn't plan on writing the entirety of snowdin, but it happened-
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

The sight of Snowdin filled Frisk with a pleasant warmth. It was nice to see it filled with monsters who were going about their daily lives. They were blissfully unaware of how many times they had all died..of how many..

“ _Hey Frisk, lets get you some food at the market_ ” Chara suggested, pointing to the first building of the little town. Frisk was pulled from their thoughts as they looked to the little wooden building. It was surely warm in there.

“Good idea” Frisk murmured softly, stopping at their Save point before scurrying inside. The human let out a pleased sigh as warmth washed over their cold body. They were still soaked from the snow..Hotland would be a giant dryer when they got there, at least.

The bunny monster behind the counter perked up at the little chime from the door. She seemed a little confused, but didn’t say anything. Frisk was glad no one here but the dogs, Sans, and Papyrus knew they were human. Most everyone in town had never seen a human before Frisk, so they tended to just think they were an odd monster kid not from town. It worked for Frisk, so they typically didn’t try to correct anyone.

“Oh, hello there, newcomer” She greeted Frisk. The teen smiled at her and gave a small wave.

  
  


“Tell me if you need help finding anything” She said as Frisk made a beeline for the warm cinnabuns. They smelled amazing. The monster chuckled at Frisk’s enthusiasm.

“You look hungry. Here, lets get you one of those, kiddo” The bunny chuckled, getting a little baggie and putting a fresh sweet into it. Frisk dug through their pockets for the right amount of gold. They traded and Frisk didn’t hesitate in biting into it.

“Thank you miss” Frisk mumbled after swallowing the bite. The monster smiled and sat back on her stool.

“No problem, kid. Your parents around here somewhere? I don’t think I know you from around here. Did you come from the capital?” The monster asked as Frisk nodded.

“I’m by my self, but I’m visiting from the capital. My name is Frisk” The human introduced, finishing off the treat quickly. They’d have to get another one before they left…

“Frisk? Nice name. I’m Maggie. My sister, Lena, runs the Inn next door. You should talk to her if you need a place to stay for the night” The bunny, Maggie, hummed as Frisk moved to get some things off a nearby shelf.

“I might do that, Thank you” Frisk grinned as they talked for another minute. In that time, the teen bought a worn book bag, two more cinnabuns, and a bicicle. It should last them as snacks and healing if they got hurt on their way to New Home. Of course, it wouldn’t last the whole way, but that was fine.

“Have a good day, kid” Maggie waved to Frisk as they were leaving. Frisk smiled at her and gave a wave before they stepped out into the cold air of Snowdin. Adjusting their book bag, Frisk turned on their heel to walk further into down. They waved and greeted everyone they met until they got to the gyftmas tree. The human had to suppress a grin as they saw their other friend from many runs ago.

Kid was staring at the gifts. He was probably looking to see if any of them were for him. Frisk approached quickly, tapping on his shoulder. Kid jumped, but spun around to look at Frisk.

“Hi!” Frisk greeted with a grin. Kid was confused for a second before he grinned at the human.

“Yo! Hi! Who are you? Are you a kid too? You must be cause you’re wearing stripes too!” The monster said animatedly. He was always so excitable. Frisk laughed and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m Frisk, whats your name?” Frisk asked, grinning back at him. The shorter monster bounced on his heels, almost losing his balance in the process.

“Kid! Its nice to meet you, Frisk!” The monster laughed, his energy getting contagious. Frisk would love to stand around and talk to him all day, but they needed to keep moving so they could fight Papyrus and move onto Waterfall.

“I gotta get going, but lets hang out later, Kid” Frisk smiled as Kid nodded quickly.

“Yo! For sure!” He turned back to the tree, nudging presents around with a clawed foot...well, he was until the bear monster at the tree told him to leave them alone. Apparently there was still a few days until gyftmas.

Frisk continued on their way, pausing only to glance inside Grillby’s. Sans was sitting at the bar. He was laughing and sipping out of a bottle of ketchup. Usually the sight would make Frisk smile, but when he glanced back at the window, their heart dropped. There wasn’t anything particularly bad about his expression, but it still managed to make the message clear.

_‘Remember what I said’_

Frisk walked on quickly, their stomach churning sickly. For the next ten minutes, Frisk went around and talked to all the monsters in town. They even stopped to say hi to ice wolf, who offered a kind grunt in return as he worked. The human was stalling, they knew. Papyrus was probably waiting for them in that little storm that was slowly creeping into town. Though, the skeleton brothers didn’t seem to be affected by the cold.

“ _C’mon Frisk, you’ve been watching those slime kids play humans and monsters for the last five minutes...we need to keep going”_ Chara finally spoke up as Frisk glanced away from the kids and to the spirit. The human sighed softly and nodded.

“Yeah..” They murmured quietly, not wanting to be heard by anyone around them. Getting up from the rock they had sat on, Frisk dusted the snow off their clothes. No more stalling.

Heading back to the center of town, Frisk took a left to walk towards the waiting skeleton. As Frisk walked past the shed, the snow started to come down heavier and heavier. The wind picked up as well, reminding the teen that their clothes were still wet. Pushing onward, a shape was finally appearing in the blizzard. Papyrus was facing away from them, but must have heard their approach. For a moment, the two of them stood in the icy blizzard, then Papyrus spoke.

“Human...Allow me to tell you about some complex feelings” He started, but surprised Frisk with his next words. He paused and turned towards them. “Somehow...I feel like you’re an old friend...one that I was very close to. Even though I’ve never met you before” Papyrus continued, looking at Frisk with a deep set confusion.

“I can’t explain why I feel this way...Did we perhaps meet online? I have many ‘social media connections’! Surely that would explain it...wait-!” Papyrus snapped out of his tangent, frowning. “I can’t possibly be friends with you! You’re a human! I see you’ve tried to trick me into not defeating you! Clever indeed, but you’ve failed!” he laughed and the area around them darkened. Frisk got ready as their soul was pulled out. However Papyrus didn’t didn’t send the slow bone attack. Frisk looked confused now, calling to him.

“Is something wrong, Papyrus?” They asked. Papyrus frowned and looked at Frisk for a moment.

“You don’t have a weapon, Human. This can’t be a fair fight..Hmm...Ah!” The skeleton snapped his gloved phalanges and a long bone formed in his hand. Papyrus looked at it and then Frisk before sighing.

“Ah. Sorry. You’re too short for that” He said and tossed it before making one half the size and tossing it to Frisk. The human blinked in surprise, but caught it with ease.

“There! Now we can proceed. I shall allow you to make the first move, Human!” Papyrus said with a grin. Frisk looked at the bone and smiled, deciding to Act.

  
  


“My name is Frisk” The human finally got a chance to introduce themselves. Papyrus seemed to be off put by this.

“Why are you telling me your name, now? Is this another trick..” He squinted at Frisk with suspicion. Frisk laughed at this, getting a good grip on the bone weapon.

“No, I was hoping we could hang out after this is all! I thought you’d like to know my name, so it wouldn’t be awkward” They smiled and the monster blinked.

“Are...you flirting with me…” Papyrus asked and was quiet with a concerned look on his face. “I...see. So you’ve revealed how you truly feel. Well..After I capture you, we can...go on a date” He laughed nervously. Frisk felt a little bad, knowing that Papyrus wasn’t interested in them at all.

“Okay! Well that was my turn, gimme your best shot, Pap!” Frisk smiled, getting ready. This seemed to pull Papyrus from his thought.

“Oh, yes! Get ready hu- Frisk!”

The first few attacks were slow and easy to walk around or step over. Frisk knew it was about to get a little more challenging, though, as Frisk spared him.

“Hm? So...you wont. I see. I suppose it’s time for my fabled _blue attack_!” He said, sending a swarm of blue bones Frisk’s way. They stood still, letting the attacks pass through their body with ease. Then, as expected, Frisk’s body became heavy. This was nothing like Sans’ blue magic. Frisk stayed standing, but still struggled to jump over the bone that shot at them, using the bone weapon to propel over it. It had been awhile since Frisk was under blue magic, their body needed to get used to it again.

“Nyeh heh! You’re blue now, that’s my attack!” Papyrus laughed excitedly, making Frisk grin.

The first few attacks were easy enough to get over, but as Frisk misjudged one of their jumps, one of the bone attacks hit them in the leg. Frisk winced, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as they expected it to be. Rolling out of the way off another attack, Frisk slung their book bag around and ate a few bites of the cinnabun they had inside. Immediately they felt better and saw the cut healing up. They could get back in the fight now.

Both Frisk and Papyrus was panting as he was getting ready to send out his final normal attack. They had both over exerted themselves, but Frisk was really having a good time.

“Gimme all you got Papyrus!” They called, gripping the bone weapon tightly. It was going to have its use in the end if Frisk could pull it off…

“I am!” Papyrus grinned as he summoned his attacks. Frisk was jumping over and ducking under bone after bone until Frisk saw it coming. The towering bone attack and sea of attacks past it. Steeling themselves, Frisk definitely was too tired to jump that high alone. Frisk gripped the weapon tightly and raised it high. Them with all the strength they could muster, Frisk drove it into the ground and stepped back. The human took a deep breath before taking a run. The blue magic made it easier to jump higher, so Frisk used that to their advantage. They leapt and let their feet hit the weapon before they pushed off of it to leap even higher.

  
  


“Almost…” Frisk murmured, worried for a moment that they wouldn’t clear the massive attack. However, Frisk pulled their knees to their chest and made it over. Now, all they had to do was to float down over all the other bones.

“Hah..Hahh...Its obvious...You’re no match...for me” Papyrus panted as Frisk stepped over a final slow moving bone. They both looked exhausted. “Yes! Ha! You’re quaking in your boots...So...I will elect to grant you pity, Frisk, and spare you” he continued, sparing Frisk. The teen smiled tiredly and nodded, accepting his mercy.

The world around them lightened and Frisk ate the last of their cinnabun as Papyrus sniffled.

“I couldn’t even defeat someone as weak as you...Undyne is going to be so disappointed in me…” The skeleton frowned, looking out towards the start of Waterfall. “I’ll never get to join the Royal Guard...and my friend quantity will remain...ugh..stagnant…” Papyrus lamented. Frisk approached him then, smiling.

“I’ll be your friend, Papyrus” Frisk said, making Papyrus look over in surprise.

“What? Really? Wowie- We haven’t even gone on a date and I’ve already hit the friend zone” He said with an odd emotion in his eyes. Then, the skeleton smiled and laughed. “Who knew all I needed to make friends was to make them do awful puzzles then fight them!” He grinned and Frisk laughed, wiping sweat from their forehead. God they were getting cold again.

“They weren’t bad! Maybe we can make more puzzles later!” Frisk offered, but hoped by then, they’d all be on the surface for the last time. Papyrus’ eyes lit up as he bounced on his heels excitedly.

“That sounds wonderful, Frisk! Nyeh heh heh!” He laughed and then paused. “You’ve taught me a lot, Frisk...So, I hereby grant you permission to pass! Continue onward through the cavern until you reach the capital. There, you can cross the _barrier_ . To reach the barrier...you’ll have to pass through the _kings castle_...and the king…” He paused and then smiled widely at Frisk

“Well, he’s a big fluffy pushover! I’m sure if you went to him and asked him ‘Mr. Dreemurr, could I please go home?’ I’m sure he’d walk you right to the barrier himself. It takes a strong soul to pass through, however...but with a soul like yours, I’m sure you could walk right on through!” Papyrus said, obviously not knowing how the barrier actually worked...

“If you wish to go on our ah...date, you can find me at my house!” Papyrus declared as he scurried off past the human. Frisk turned on their heel to follow after him.

“H..he walks so fast..” Frisk chattered, trying to warm their hands with their breath. They really needed to warm up before they went anywhere else. The teen saw how the blizzard was lessening more and more the closer they got to their destination. It was a relief to Frisk as the wind stopped and the house was in sight. Papyrus was pacing outside of it, muttering to himself. Frisk had never went straight to the ‘date’ so this was a new sight for them.

“Papyrus?” They asked, trembling from the cold. Papyrus’ head snapped around, looking at Frisk with an indiscernible expression. However, he smiled nervously, not giving Frisk time to wonder about it.

  
  


“Oh- I see...you’re really serious about this- Oh my- Frisk you’re shaking! Are you really that excited about this date?” His expression became more concerned, so Frisk spoke up.

“Oh-! I fell in the snow earlier and my clothes got wet. I’m just really cold” They explained. Papyrus looked relieved, confusing Frisk. The teen knew that he didn’t want to hurt their feelings..but still..that level of fear that passed his face didn’t make sense..

“I see- Here, let’s go inside then” He said with a smile as he walked to the door, opening it for Frisk. The teen smiled shakily as they hurried inside past him. Frisk heard his footsteps follow behind them. They expected Papyrus to stand off away from them and follow them around as usual, but they felt something warm wrap around them. Frisk blinked and glanced behind them. Papyrus was bent down, wrapping his scarf around Frisk’s neck.

“wha-” Frisk started to ask, but Papyrus cut them off.

“You said you were cold. This should warm you up” He said. The human felt their face heat reflexively, surprised by this.

“Oh- Thank you” They said as they adjusted it and walked further inside. It was odd seeing him without the scarf, but Frisk would return it once they had warmed up. For a moment, they explored the house and talked idly with Papyrus. The casual chatting seemed to make him relax a little, which made Frisk feel better about the situation.

Finally after stalling on their ‘date’ Frisk finally walked upstairs and looked at the door to Papyrus’ bedroom door. The skeleton noticed immediately and hurried up the stairs.

“That’s my room! Quite an impressive room, I must say..ah...would you like to go in?” he asked as Frisk nodded with a smile.

“Sure” They smiled as Papyrus opened the door once again for the human. The inside of his room was a welcoming sight. It was the kinda room Frisk always wanted…

“Make yourself at home, Frisk” Papyrus hummed as he shut the door back. For a moment, Frisk looked around the room, taking in all the little details of it. The action figures, the books, the pirate flag...it was all just so Papyrus.

“Okay, I think I’m ready to start our date now” Frisk hummed, plopping down onto the soft race car bed. Papyrus looked nervous now, but smiled on anyways.

“Alright then!” He said and the room around them darkened as their soul was pulled out. It wasn’t the same forceful pull like in a battle. This was a willing removal of their soul. Frisk could understand why too. Being on a date and baring your soul to the other person was the most trusting thing a monster can do. Frisk could see Papyrus’ as well, which was something Sans was likely losing his mind over in the next room...Shaking this from their mind, the human focused on the skeleton in front of them.

“Wowie, so we’re on a date now...this sure is exciting..” Papyrus said, smiling at Frisk. “And to ensure we have a good time, I have procured this!” he said as he pulled out his dating handbook. It made Frisk giggle, but they waited patiently.

  
  


“Hmm...let’s see here..wear nice clothes to show them you care- Wait” Papyrus paused and looked up over his book. “Nice clothing...my scarf and that ribbon-! You’re already wearing clothes! You’re one step ahead of me, Frisk, but!” He grinned and moved out of Frisk’s sight. Papyrus was back quickly enough, though. The dating outfit really was cool, at least to Frisk.

“I always wear nice clothes under my battle body!” He said, adjusting his backwards hat with a proud grin. “But...There’s something special about this outfit. Nyeh heh...can you figure out what it is?” Papyrus hummed. Frisk grinned and hopped up, looking up at the taller skeleton.

“Hmm…” They hummed, looking at his hat. “Bend down, you’re too tall” Frisk mused. Papyrus complied, kneeling to Frisk’s height. With him down, Frisk was able to pat his head, smiling.

“Hm? My hat..? Nyeh! My hat!” He grinned as he stood back up and took his hat off, revealing the present underneath.

“A gift for me..?” Frisk asked as it was passed down to them. They opened it and smiled at the plate of pasta in the box. “Oh, you made me more spaghetti!” They said with genuine excitement. Of course the meal was going to be...less than subpar...but they had missed it.

“Yes, but wait, this isn’t any plain ol’ pasta!” Papyrus laughed and looked proud. “This is an artisans dish! Silken pasta finely aged in an oaken cask, then prepared by _me_ Master Chef Papyrus! Frisk! This date can go no further, for I have you bested!” He said with a grin. Frisk looked at the pasta and took a bite, face scrunching up at the taste..They really needed to teach him the proper way to cook.

“Such a passionate expression! You must really like my cooking...And...by extension me! Maybe even more than _I_ do…” He said, face dropping into a frown for a split second. Then the skeleton looked determined.

“Frisk...It’s clear now. You’re madly in love with me, aren’t you…? Everything you do and say...its all been for my sake. I..I want you to be happy too! So...I...I will reveal my true feelings as well..!” He said, looking more and more nervous by the second.

“I um…” Papyrus looked at Frisk then away, sweating a little. “Is it uh...hot in here or is it just me…?” he chuckled nervously. For a moment, a look of defeat passed over his face. Maybe it was because this run had been so weird, but Frisk didn’t remember this interaction being so...dire. It was probably because they were more focused on everything, now…

“I...I’m so sorry human. I can’t lie to you..I..I shouldn’t lead you on.” Papyrus whispered as the room came back around them. “I don’t have the same feelings as you, Frisk..I... _please_ tell me you’re okay” he said, taking Frisk by surprise. Frisk nodded slowly.

“Of course, Papyrus...It was a silly little crush. It wasn’t serious, really” They assured him, frowning up at the skeleton. The taller monster looked relieved. Something didn’t feel right…

“ _Oh_ ..Thank goodness. I..I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if...ah..what am I thinking. Of _course_ you’d be okay. You’re a human, after all. Silly me! I got worried over nothing” Papyrus said in relief, sitting down on the bed. Frisk watched him for a moment before they sat next to him.

  
  


“It’s alright, Pap. I’m alright, I promise. Hey, lets just have a friend date instead! It’ll be a lot more fun than a date date” Frisk smiled at him encouragingly. Papyrus looked at the smaller human with confusion and asked hesitantly.

“A...friend date? I’m afraid I don’t know what that is, Frisk” he said nervously.

“Its alright. We just hang out and get to know each other better! Here I’ll start. How long have you and Sans lived in Snowdin?” Frisk asked, carefully removing the scarf to return it to their friend. Papyrus took it as he nodded, wrapping it around his neck again.

“I see...My brother and I moved here a few months ago on my birthday” Papyrus hummed, pausing “How did you get here? Underground, I mean” He asked. Frisk hummed in consideration of this question. A white lie would be a lot better than the truth.

“I...Fell” Frisk lied. Chara glanced away from them. “I didn’t see a hole in the ground and I fell down it..and I ended up down here” The human and spirit both knew that was a bold faced lie. Before Papyrus could have time to consider the validity of this, Frisk asked their next question.

“How old are you now?” The teen asked, realizing that they didn’t actually know the answer to this. Papyrus chuckled and looked proud now.

“17! I just got out of stripes!” The skeleton said proudly. Frisk was surprised, sitting up straighter.

“17? I’m 15! If you’re only 17 how are you uh...outta stripes?” They asked, genuinely confused. Of course Frisk should have known that monster ages were different than human ages, but still they were still surprised.

“Hm? That’s when skeleton monsters are mature! Sans is 19, but you’d think he was still in stripes too. What age do humans get out of stripes?” Papyrus asked curiously.

“Oh? Humans actually don’t use that kinda thing?” Frisk rubbed the back of their neck.

“Usually when you turn 16, you can get a driver’s license with your name and birthday on it...or you can get an ID if you don’t want to drive. People know how old you are like that. Human’s aren’t adults until we turn 18, but I think its more like 21, because there’s some things you still cant do until you’re that old, even though you’re an adult” The human explained. Papyrus listened with rapt interest.

“That’s...very weird. Monsters all mature at different ages. Some are matured at younger years because their particular species don’t...live very long before they fall down. Others don’t mature for a long time because they live a long time. So the day of losing our stripes varies” Papyrus explained. Frisk blinked, but nodded slowly, brushing some loose hair from their face.

“Oh...huh. That’s cool. So you just got out of them? Were you trying to join the guard before that?” They asked curiously. The skeleton shook his head, looking at Frisk as if they had said something funny.

“Well no. A kid can’t join the guard, silly!” Papyrus snickered, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. “I asked the day after I turned 17! It was the perfect time to do it!” He explained, making Frisk smile. Papyrus’ personality was contagious, there was no way not to smile at his attitude.

  
  


“I see..I really should get going before that blizzard gets any worse. I’ll come back later, I promise!” Frisk knew they wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. It would be fine once they broke the barrier and got everyone out. They got up and smoothed out their clothing. Papyrus smiled some, nodding.

“Alright..be careful in waterfall, okay..? Undyne, my friend...she’s very...bent on capturing a human, which is you” The taller monster advised. Frisk nodded, taking his advice for sure. Undyne was never fun to encounter at first.

“I will, thanks Pap” They murmured, walking to the door. Bidding goodbye to their skeletal friend, Frisk slipped out of the room. The human was about to take their leave when they looked at the colorful flames coming from the room next to them. Walking over, Frisk gave a small knocking, knowing there would be no reply. Sans was definitely inside, though. That was something the teen was sure of.

“See you later, Sans” Frisk murmured. Just as expected, there was a shifting noise inside. The human smiled to themselves, turning to leave and head down the stairs.

It was time to keep moving forward.


	4. Second thoughts

Frisk yelped as they bolted around the corner, spears flying past their head. The sign for Hotland was finally in sight. Undyne was hot on their heels, though. Just a few more steps...

“Stop running, punk!” Undyne yelled as she gave chase, starting to tire as they approached the ambient heat outside of Hotland. Suddenly, Frisk heard their phone ringing and skidded to a stop. Perfect. The human dug the device out of their book bag and looked back at a confused Undyne.

“Sorry, I gotta take this” Frisk said as they answered the phone. Undyne was taken a back, but waited for them to finish the call. Frisk grinned and spoke into the phone, already knowing who it was. “Hello?” They asked, rocking idly on their heels. Chara chuckled off to the side of them.

“Frisk! I had the best idea!” Papyrus stated loudly. Frisk pulled the phone away from their ear. Giggling at his enthusiasm, Frisk hummed.

“Yeah? What’s that, Pap?” Frisk asked, seeing Undyne squint down at the human in their peripherals.

“Later! You, me, and Undyne should all hang out! I think if she gets to know you, the two of you will be fast friends! Welp, gotta go! Just call me when you want to go see her!” Papyrus said happily before hanging up.

“Okay, sorry” Frisk laughed as they took off down the corridor. The fish monster yelped and growled, her footsteps thumping loudly after the teen.

“Hey! Get back here!” Undyne shouted after Frisk. The human snickered as they ran into the next area, getting blasted with a face full of hot wind. Hotland was as gorgeous as Frisk remembered. Unlike Snowdin which had a day and night, and Waterfall that was in perpetual night, Hotland was never dark.

  
  


The lava lakes never allowed it to be night time here. Turning another corner, Frisk grinned. Sans was at his sentry station, eyes half lidded as he watched their approach.

“Hi Sans!” Frisk laughed as they ducked to miss another spear.

“Heya kiddo” Sans mused, getting Undyne’s attention. She skidded to a stop, letting Frisk run further away.

“Sans! What the hell!”

Frisk didn’t stick around to hear Undyne chew out the lazy skeleton. They dashed across a bridge, finally hearing the other monster after them again. The heat was starting to be a little uncomfortable, but Frisk carried on as Undyne was slowly walking closer and closer to them. A loud clang behind the human made Frisk turn around. Undyne had collapsed, steam rising off of her armor.

Without wasting any time, Frisk scurried to the convenient water cooler. They grabbed a cup and hurried it over to the monster. Splashing it onto her face, Frisk waited as Undyne started to stir. Finally, Undyne blinked her eyes open and shakily got to her feet. She looked around in confusion before looking to the shorter human. Frisk just smiled at her as the cup and what little water left in it evaporated from the heat.

“I’m Frisk” The human introduced, though Undyne just frowned and turned on her heel. She stomped off out of sight. Heaving a sigh, Frisk peered back towards the sentry stand. Sans was still there, watching Frisk. The teen smiled some and waved before hurrying on to meet Alphys. They were almost done.

* * *

“Knock em dead, darling”

Frisk smiled sadly as they were sitting with Mettaton’s torso in their lap. They gently laid him down as his battery died, putting his soul into a gentle slumber. The cameras were off, leaving them alone.

“I’ll try…” Frisk murmured as they stood up. The doors to the room finally opened and a confused looking Alphys walked in.

“What- O-Oh no! Mettaton!” She rushed over and fell to her knee’s by his sleeping vessel. Alphys cupped her hands over the little glass heart, looking for something. Frisk could see a faint glow on her hands, then watched as she relaxed.

“Oh..Oh thank Stars, its ju...just his battery…” She said and hesitated “I...I mean, its okay. He’s just a robot, after all..” Alphys muttered.

“I...I could just build another if you uh...broke it…” She frowned and stood up. “Uh...lets-”

“I’ll help you take him back to the lab. That way you can fix him” Frisk said, carefully moving around and picking up the heavy arm and what was left of one of Mettaton’s legs. Alphys seemed surprised, watching Frisk in silence before she hurriedly picked up Mettaton’s torso.

  
  


_“She’s a lot stronger than she looks”_ Chara noted as Frisk smiled some at her. “Lets head back to the lab” They said, the yellow monster nodding slowly.

“R..Right”

They walked for some time in silence, the gentle bubbling of magma filling the air around them. Alphys looked nervous, but Frisk tried to keep their expression calm and happy. As they approached the looming laboratory, though, Frisk finally spoke.

“I know you lied about me being able to leave...and about Mettaton being on a malfunctioning rampage..” Frisk started, seeing Alphys tense in the corner of their eye.

“I-” She started, but Frisk stopped her.

“It’s okay. I already knew I couldn’t leave on the barrier...I..I don’t wanna hurt anyone. I want to help everyone get to the surface, so I’ll just find another way to get through the barrier…” The teen smiled at the monster, opening the door to the lab. Alphys stared at Frisk before seeing the door and scurrying through.

“So...you’re not leaving..?” Alphys asked as she took Mettaton upstairs. Frisk followed her, sitting the appendages on the table where he was laid down. Frisk paused. This was the question was wracking their mind during the long journey. Had they done enough? How could Frisk know if they would end up at the Reset button again? What if all of this was for nothing…?

“I..I don’t know…” Frisk said honestly, looking down at Mettaton. “So...he’s going to be okay…?” They asked, changing the subject. Alphys paused, looking down at the robot.

“I..Yes. He’ll be just fine. I’ll have to fix his battery...and his arms and legs. He’s going to be on rest mode for awhile until I’m sure he isn’t going to overload again...uh..Thank you, Frisk..I think I can handle the rest now” The monster murmured, glancing to the human.

“Okay..I’ll see you around, Alphys...don’t work too hard” Frisk smiled some at her, making their way to moving floor. They rode it down to the door, hopping off and pausing. Frisk spared one more look up towards Alphys before leaving out the front entrance.

Standing in the pulsating heat of Hotland, Frisk sighed and ran a hand down their face.

“What do we do now…?” Frisk asked, looking at Chara. They looked just as concerned. Chara opened their mouth, closed it, and opened it again.

“ _I don’t know_ ” They whispered, looking at the ground. Frisk paused, their feet moving slowly towards an unknown destination.

* * *

“...Frisk and Chara…?” Napstablook looked at the human and spirit, confused. Frisk didn’t know why they came to the little ghost’s house. It was just where they ended up…

  
  


“Can we come in..?” Frisk asked, smiling nervously. It was still odd knowing that Napstablook could actually see Chara. The ghost had caught them talking to human spirit, expressing his surprise that Frisk could see Chara. Of course, Frisk was surprised that Napstablook saw Chara. It made sense after they explained it to Frisk. Ghosts could see other ghosts, Napstablook just didn’t mention it to Frisk, because human ghosts normally can’t be seen like magic ghosts.

“Uh...sure…” Napstablook moved out of the way, letting them inside. “I...saw you on the television...with Mettaton...It was really cool…” They added. Frisk smiled more at this. Of course they knew that the ghost had watched. Napstablook always watched the fight.

“Oh, yeah? I uh..actually just helped Alphys take him back to the lab to get him fixed up. He’s alright, so you know” Frisk murmured, smiling. Napstablook’s eyes widened a little, but they smiled a little.

“Oh...That’s good… I’m glad…” They murmured, floating over to a little beanbag in the corner of the room. “Did you two...need something…?” The ghost asked.

“No… _we just wanted somewhere to go…we uh…”_ Chara mumbled awkwardly. Frisk couldn’t blame them. Chara wasn’t used to other people being able to see them other than Frisk…

“We just needed a place to think…” Frisk admitted. Napstablook blinked, but nodded.

“Wanna lay on the floor with me…? That helps me think…sometimes…” The ghost said softly, getting up again and floating to the middle of the room to lay down. Frisk looked to Chara, who shrugged. It was worth a shot…

The two of them moved to lay by Napstablook, staring at the ceiling. The ghost had explained earlier that day that their magic was what made the room look like a mini cosmos. It was something their cousin had apparently taught them to do. Frisk smiled a little as the ceiling slowly faded into thousands of imaginary stars….and faded into their own thoughts.

_What am I supposed to do…._

_I made a promise...no more resets…_

_What if I did something wrong…? What if I get stuck there again…?_

_What if we come back_ **_wrong_ **

_No…I just can’t fight Asgore...I can’t do that...I can’t have everything be taken away again…_

_But….where would I go…? I could spend one night in the inn...maybe two...but after that…?_

_Maybe…_

A gentle knock at the front door snapped Frisk from their internal dialogue. The stars faded as Napstablook looked towards the front door, obviously very confused.

  
  


“Who...could that be…?” They murmured, getting up. Chara sat up with Frisk, watching as the door was opened. Frisk blinked in surprise at who they saw. A little pink ghost was floating in the doorway. Their face was flushed and they looked embarrassed.

“Happs…?” Napstablook said, surprised. Frisk had never met Happstablook in their ghost form, only as Mettaton.

“H...Hey cousin...long time no- Uh...You have guests over, I’ll just come by later-” He said after spotting Frisk and Chara.

“No, no its okay Met-Uh...We were about to leave anyways” Frisk said, getting up and dusting their clothes off. They weren’t sure if Napstablook knew who Mettaton was, so they refrained from saying anything.

“Oh…I hope you figured out what you wanted to do…” Napstablook said, tearing their eyes from their cousin. Frisk gave Happstablook, or well Mettaton, a smile in passing.

“Bye Napstablook” Frisk said as the pink ghost slipped inside.

“Bye- Happs...I thought you were in Hotland-” Napstablook’s voice faded out as the door shut.

“ _I guess he can leave that other body? Alphys must be fixing it up...do we have a plan or…?”_ Chara asked hesitantly as Frisk started walking. They glanced at Undynes house. Shyren had helped them put the blaze out before it got too bad, but Undyne was likely still assessing the damages inside.

“Yeah..we should go before it starts getting late..I can imagine it gets cold in Waterfall at night…” Frisk said, walking to where a little bird was.

“ _Where exactly are we going…?”_ Chara asked as the little bird slowly lifted Frisk across the water. “Snowdin”

* * *

Frisk was shaking as they stood on the doorstop. The blizzard had rolled into town, covering it with heavy snowfall. The wind stung their face, but Frisk didn’t knock yet. What if they didn’t want the teen in their home…? What if…

“ _Just knock...if it falls through, we’ll stay at the inn and figure something out”_ Chara assured them, glancing up at the dark sky. It was getting late and colder by the minute…

“...Alright…” Frisk murmured, bringing a numb hand to the door to knock. Their knuckled stung, but Frisk powered through it. Wrapping their arms around their body, the human waited anxiously for someone to answer the door. The faint sound of footsteps made Frisk’s heart pound harder. As the door opened, the teen was face to face with the shorter skeleton brother. Sans.

He looked confused, but Frisk knew why. After their tense talk in the MTT Resort, he was probably waiting for awhile in the Judgment Hall. They should have been there well over an hour ago, given the time of day it was now...but Frisk was here, now.

  
  


“Uh..wh-” He started to speak, but Frisk was faster, talking over him.

“Can I stay the night…? Just for tonight…? Please, I...I’m not ready to go yet…” Frisk whispered, chattering from the cold. Sans frowned, staring at the younger human for a long moment. Contrary to what Frisk expected, the door wasn’t slammed in their face. Sans was smiling as he stepped back and opened the door.

“ _Ice_ suppose you’re a little _chilly_ out there. C’mon in, kid” He mused. Frisk smiled a little and stepped inside.

“Thank you…” This would only be for the night...tomorrow they would figure out a new plan.


	5. Five years later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rushed this one a little and cut it off a little sooner than I wanted to, but I wanted the next chapter to be a happy little filler ❤️

It had been more than a day.

One day on the couch had passed...and then two...a week...a month...years had gone by. Every day that passed, Frisk was too anxious to even leave Snowdin. However, every day that passed was one that made Sans more and more on edge. After the first month, though, he seemed to understand that Frisk really wasn’t going to reset.

Frisk, now 20 years old and waking on the couch one more, sighed and yawned as they sat up. 

“ _ Morning Frisk”  _ Chara hummed. Frisk hummed, stretching and groaning as their back popped.

“Morning...ugh...my back..” They mumbled, running a hand through their sleep tousled hair. A second voice startled Frisk out of their sleepy haze.

“You talking to the parasite again?” The deep and familiar baritone of Sans’ voice made Frisk look over. The ever lazy skeleton was coming down the stairs. He was without his usual jacket, a tan sweater covering his bones. Chara glared, though Sans wouldn’t be able to see it.

Frisk could remember the day that Sans had caught them talking to the spirit. He had practically interrogated them and demanded to see their stats before he let Frisk explain. It hurt to think Sans assumed they had killed people after months underground. The skeleton still seemed wary of the idea that Chara was innocent in the genocidal tendencies that Frisk had shown in previous runs...but it was better than his threatening aura he had in the early days of living there.

“Don’t call them that, Sans…” Frisk sighed, getting up, groaning as their back cracked loudly again.

“Mm. You sure you don’t wanna take Pap’s up on that offer of turning the shed into a little room for you? Sure would beat sleeping on that old thing” Sans mused, walking on to the kitchen. Frisk shrugged, following him. They hesitated in the doorway, though.

“Where’s Pap at, anyways…?” Frisk asked, leaning in the door instead of following him in. It made them feel guilty to admit it...but even after five years of living with Sans, Frisk was still wary of being alone with him. They still had the odd nightmare of that day outside the ruins. It wasn’t as bad as the early days, but they happened enough to leave Frisk with a sinking feeling.

“Out. Think he went to Undyne’s. Something about a Mettaton movie marathon. Why?” Sans asked, getting a mug from the cabinet as he was making coffee. Frisk shrugged, glancing around the room.

“No reason...Uh..get me a cup down? I’m gonna go get ready for work.” The human turned on their heel, hurrying back to the couch. By their bed of the last few years was a little chest. Papyrus had bought it for them a few weeks after Frisk had started living there...and he had filled it with striped clothing that he had bought for them. Papyrus had been adamant that Frisk needed more than one outfit. It was nice of him. Now it was filled with non striped clothing and their first striped sweater.

Frisk smiled as they brushed their hand over it. Even though they had told Papyrus that humans didn’t have the stripe rules for children, he still presented them with their first non striped sweater on their 18 th  birthday. It was a really emotional day for Frisk.

_ “Frisk”  _ Chara pulled them from their thoughts.

“Sorry” Frisk murmured, getting their work uniform. Grillby was nice enough to hire them as a server when they were finally 18. Of course, Papyrus assured Frisk that they didn’t need to get a job, but the human felt bad living there without helping out.

Grabbing the white sweater and black pants, Frisk got up and headed upstairs to the bathroom. Chara didn’t follow them inside. They had tested the distance they could have between them the first day Frisk needed to shower. Thankfully, the two of them had several feet of leeway before Chara would be unable to get any further.

Frisk took their time in the shower, letting the hot water relax all their tense muscles. Maybe they should talk to Papyrus about fixing up the shed. Sleeping on that couch was getting worse and worse.

The shower was over quick enough and now the human was standing before the mirror, brushing their nearly un-tameable hair. It was naturally very wavy, but where Frisk hated having long hair, the short hair liked sticking up in every direction. Finally, they got it to lay how they wanted it to. Pulling on their sweater, Frisk frowned at their reflection. Their chest always gave them anxiety, even though they knew not a single monster cared what Frisk was born as.

Nonetheless, Frisk had explained in detail what a binder was to Alphys a few years ago. She had promised to look for one at the dump, but no luck had been found yet. Thankfully, the sweater was big and Grillby was happy with whatever Frisk wanted to wear, as long as it was black and white.

_ “You almost done? _ ” Chara’s muffled voice startled Frisk. Sighing and buttoning their black jeans, Frisk scurried over to the door.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Existential crisis again” Frisk murmured, letting Chara follow them downstairs. Frisk sat on the couch and pulled on their boots, tying them quickly before heading to the kitchen. Sans was still there, sipping on his coffee as he scrolled on his phone. A second cup sat on the table, steam rising off it.

  
  


“Thanks” Frisk hummed, walking over and carefully picking it up. They took a few gulps, not minding the burn.

“Want me to walk you to Grillby’s?” Sans asked. Frisk glanced at him and paused.

“No, its alright. I’ll pick up groceries on my way home. See you on your break?” Frisk asked, finishing the coffee quickly. Sans hummed, taking a sip from his cup again.

“As usual. See ya in awhile, kid”

Frisk didn’t even have to look to know he was gone. The tingle of magic was enough of an indication. They sighed softly, sitting their cup on the table.

“Time for work…”

* * *

Frisk greeted monsters on their way to the little bar. Over time, everyone had become quite used to the human’s presence. They all definitely knew Frisk was a human, too. It was an unspoken rule that they were a good human, too good to be killed selfishly. Even the sentries turned a blind eye to Frisk’s existence. Like Undyne had said, they were just waiting for a bad human to fall down now. Frisk knew it would happen eventually and they hated it. Hopefully..hopefully they could free everyone before that had to be an option.

“Hey Frisky” The tipsy bunny slurred as they walked into Grillby’s bar. Frisk snickered.

“Hey Timber. Drinking already?” They greeted, shutting the door behind them. She laughed and raised her glass.

“You know it” She slurred. The bar wasn’t busy yet. Only two of the dogs, Timber, and Len the hamster monster were there. Slipping past the dog’s table, Frisk gave Less and Great little pets as they went. The dogs paused their poker game to yip in appreciation.

“Morning Grill” Frisk smiled at the fire monster, who crackled and nodded slightly to them. It wasn’t often that Grillby spoke. That was fine, of course. Frisk had days where they didn’t like talking either.

Going through the door behind the bar, Frisk went to write down when they got there in a little notebook. Once they were officially clocked in, Frisk grabbed their apron and the ticket book they used for taking orders.

_“You should probably clean the tables before the dogs get here. You know how messy they can get”_ Chara noted as Frisk was about to walk back out. The human paused and nodded.

“Yeah, good idea” Frisk turned on their heel to find the cleaning products they had bought for the bar.

When Frisk had started working there, Grillby had only been wiping the tables down with a cloth every night. They understood why, seeing as liquids hurt the elemental monster. Frisk offered to clean everything after that. Grillby even offered them extra money for the extra work. It was definitely worth it. The extra gold was nice for Gyftmas and birthdays.

“Ah! There we are” Frisk stood up with the bottle and rag, scurrying out to the main room. They heard laughter before they even got out the door. Pausing in the door way, Frisk scanned the room and found the cause of the cacophony.

Sans was sat at the bar, talking to Grillby and the red bird monster, Lily. She must have followed him in, seeing as her chair was empty before. Smiling a little, Frisk went about their job. They wiped down empty chairs, tables, and booths, making sure everything was clean. Sans had glanced their way, but continued telling whatever story he was in the middle of.

“What are you doing here already?” Frisk asked as they came over to clean the bar, wiping down the stools. The skeleton hummed as he looked over at the human.

“Taking my mandated break for the hour” He hummed. Frisk chuckled, shaking their head.

“Didn’t you just go to your station?” Frisk asked, slipping around to the other side, storing the bottle and rag on an empty shelf away from the drinks. They heard Sans hum and shift on his seat. They peeked up and he had his chin resting in his hand.

“I did enough work I think. Calls for break time” Sans winked. 

Frisk rolled their eyes, but smiled. “Uh huh.”

“No really. I got a  _ ton  _ of work done. A  _ skele _ ton of work” He said, dragging a snort and laugh out of Frisk. They shook their head at the pun. He used that one almost every day, but it never got old for Frisk.

“I’ve already heard that one” They mused as they walked to the end of the bar, heading around to get Timber a refill.

“You’re still smiling” Sans called as they went, making Frisk smile. In a room full of people, Frisk felt more comfortable around the skeleton monster.

“Hey Timbs. Need some more Fire Whiskey?” Frisk asked as they approached the bunny’s table. She grinned and held her empty glass up.

“You know me too well, Frisky” Timber slurred happily. The human giggled and took the glass. Timber was a really nice monster. She just liked her alcohol. Nothing wrong with that, of course. Frisk enjoyed a drink here and there with Grillby after work.

“Mmhm.” They walked back to the bar, leaning over it by Sans.

“Hey Grillby? Can I get another round of Fire Whiskey for Timber?” Frisk asked the fire monster. There was a slight hum over the crackling of his flames. His hands were warm as they took the glass from Frisk.

The human watched with interest as Grillby grabbed a bottle from the shelf. While pouring it into the glass, orange magic left his hand, being infused in the drink. Frisk’s smile widened as he finished, passing them a glass of crackling liquid, soft flames flickering on the surface. Magic still fascinated Frisk. The way the effect could change depending on the users intent was so interesting. Normally fire magic would burn a person in a fight...but outside of battle, it could be used in food and drinks to cook or enhance the items taste.

“Thanks!” Frisk grinned, hurrying along back to the table.

The next few hours were pretty mundane. Sans left after his ‘break’ was over. Though Frisk knew he’d be back a few more times during their shift. The bar was packed tonight. Grillby had expanded the building a little last year, so there was a few more tables than when Frisk was younger. Flitting around the room, Frisk was taking orders, mingling, and serving drinks. Even though things were a little crazier tonight, the human didn’t mind. The fast pace was honestly calming.

“Frisk..could you turn off the stove in the back..?” Grillby spoke softly as Frisk was collecting dirty dishes from tables. The human smiled and nodded.

“And grab me a bottle of ketchup, yeah?” Frisk jumped as Sans’ voice startled them. Him and his shortcuts… Huffing, they smiled.

“Yeah. Another break?” They asked, only getting a lazy smile in return. Shaking their head, Frisk went through the employee door. The dishes were taken to the mostly empty sink. Turning their attention to the stove, Frisk walked over and was just going to turn it off.

_ “Frisk wait-”  _ It was too late for Chara to warn the human. There was a wet spot on the floor that had gone unnoticed by Frisk, who hadn’t had time to react to Chara. Their foot slid out from under them, catching the corner of the stove with their head on the way down. The tiled floor was an added pain as their body crumpled onto it. Groaning, Frisk held their head. It throbbed and their forehead stung.

“ _ Shit, Frisk- Are you alright?”  _ Chara asked, being unable to physically help their friend. Frisk winced as they sat up. Pulling their hand from their forehead, Frisk frowned at the sight of blood.

“I...I think so...Let me check…” They mumbled, pulling their own soul forth with only a little difficulty. Frisk was really glad Papyrus had taught them how to do this. There was a small crack in it, their HP having dropped from 20 to 15. Great.

“Looks like I’m taking my break a little early…” Frisk sighed, standing on shaky legs and pressing their hand over the cut on their forehead. They quickly turned the stove off and walked carefully to the door. Frisk stepped out and turned the corner to Grillby. Him and Sans were talking to each other. Sans saw them first, sitting up as his eye lights became smaller.

“Frisk?” He said, making the fire monster look over as well.

“Ah...I kinda...fell. I’m alright, but can I go on my break now..?” Frisk asked. Grillbys face shifted from surprise to concern. He stepped closer and gently took Frisk by the wrist. The monster led Frisk to a stool he had behind the bar, having them sit down.

“Don’t move...Let me see…” Grillby said softly, moving Frisk’s hand away from the cut. For a being made of fire, his touch didn’t hurt. Frisk felt their face heating as they glanced away from their boss and friend.

  
  


“It’s not a big deal. I can just run home and eat a monster candy…” They said, a little flustered as Grillby brushed their bangs out of the way.

“Its okay…” he said, his hand glowing a soft green. Frisk was fascinated for a moment before he pressed his hand to the cut, a hissing sound coming forth.

“You’re hurting yourself, Grillby-” Frisk started, but he pulled his hand away, fixing their hair back. There was a flash of blue in Frisk’s peripheral, but it was gone with a burst of magic. The human looked over and saw Sans was gone. They frown and looked over as Grillby handed them his handkerchief to clean up the rest of the blood.

“Don’t worry about Sans...He’s having one of his moods” Grillby murmured, Frisk nodding as they took the cloth.

“Oh...well, if you say so” Frisk murmured as they wiped the blood from their skin. “Mind if I take fifteen…? Things are a little calmer now” They asked, carefully folding the handkerchief so Grillby wouldn’t touch the wet spots. Grillby nodded, taking the cloth back. Frisk smiled and got up. They took off their apron.

“I’ll be right back” Frisk smiled at the fire monster before making their way outside. It was chilly, but the sweater they wore now was nice and thick. It was the right kind of clothes for the perpetual winter that was Snowdin. They walked through the darkened town and pulled their phone from their pocket. Scrolling through their contacts, Frisk stepped onto the faux bridge. The human smiled and looked down at the mural Papyrus had painted. It was impressive for sure. The walkway looked like a bridge hanging over a drop off. Frisk had helped by adding a few birds a few years ago.

Continuing their walk, Frisk finally found the contact they were looking for. They tapped it and pressed the phone to their ear. It rang once...twice...and then there was a beep. Voicemail as usual.

“Ah...Hey mom. Guess you’re busy. Well, I’m on my break, but I figured I should give you a call. Ya know...tell you about my day” Frisk trailed off, smiling as they passed Dogamy and Dogeressa as they were heading into town. The couple waved and Frisk returned it.

“It was a pretty good day. Grillby showed me how to make some of the drinks he serves at the bar, minus the magic parts. I really wish I was a monster sometimes, so I could do magic too. Heh heh...guess I’m rambling again. Oh! I fell and hurt myself at work, but don’t worry I’m okay. Grillby patched me right up with some green magic. Sans was acting weird though...It’s probably nothing. “ Frisk hummed as they walked through the newest puzzles. They had already memorized their solutions, so it wasn’t a big deal.

“I wish you could meet him and Papyrus...and Grillby...and all my friends. I think they’d really like you mom…” The human laughed softly. There was a soft warning beep that came from the phone. Frisk sighed softly. “Oops..guess I talked a little too long. I’ll call you again tomorrow. Bye mom, I love you. Say hi to the monsters in the ruins for me if you see any. And uh...just...yeah. Bye.” They hung up, sighing softly.

“I wonder if she even listens to those messages...maybe she doesn’t know how...or she deletes them...or..” Frisk groaned, dragging a hand down their face.

“ _ I doubt she deletes them...I...I bet she listens to them all”  _ Chara tried to say encouragingly. Frisk smiled weakly as they reached the area they were walking to. The newest snow statue of Papyrus greeted Frisk’s vision. Next to it was a less impressive snow person with an old striped sweater on it...and of course the pile of snow that read ‘sans’ on it.

“...Yeah...maybe…” Frisk smiled a little as they sat down on a rock by the trees. Digging in their pockets, Frisk found what they were looking for.

“Anyways, it doesn’t matter. We’ll see her soon enough when I get us out of here” They said as they pulled out a small pack of what looked like cigarettes. Upon closer inspection, one would see that it wasn’t exactly human cigarettes.

After the nightmares started getting worse, Frisk, 17 at the time, went to Doggo. They had asked him for one of his dog treats. Of course he outright refused at first, since Frisk was still in stripes at that time. The teen pleaded and bribed him with pets and the fact that Frisk was turning 18 in a few months. It had been enough at the time, but Frisk quickly learned that the treats magic were too strong on their own.

Sans had caught Frisk hacking up a lung in the shed with it and, while he scolded them for messing with stuff like that, he knew that he couldn’t really stop the kid. So, he was the one that suggested crushing it up and smoking through a filter. Apparently cigarette like filters were a thing, just not for the same purpose as human cigarettes. One trip to the capital and Frisk had been making their own dog treat cigarettes ever since.

Leaning back against a tree, the human pulled one of the cigarettes from the pack. Holding the filter between their lips and flicking their lighter open, Frisk lit it and took a deep drag off it. Smoke slipped past their lips and disapated above them into the night air. Immediately the magic was taking it affect, making their tense body relax. They never smoked more than one on breaks and Grillby was fine with it as long as it didn’t affect Frisk’s ability to work.

“Rough night?”

Frisk was too embarrassed to admit how loud they screamed as Sans was sitting right next to them. They started to tumble sideways into the snow, but the feeling of magic surrounded them. For a moment, Frisk started to panic, but Sans just righted them then released his magic.

“Heh. Sorry to kid. Didn’t mean to  _ rattle your bones  _ like that.” Sans chuckled, but had a somewhat apologetic look. Maybe...it was gone too fast for Frisk to process the look. The human sighed, but shrugged, taking a longer drag off the cigarette this time.

“It’s alright. Didn’t expect you to be out here is all” Frisk hummed, blowing out the rest of the smoke as they spoke. The skeleton monster slipped his hands back into his jacket pockets, looking up at the ‘sky’. Frisk had grown used to seeing the sparking cavern ceiling, easily pretending that they’re stars like others did.

It had been so long that Frisk forgot what real stars looked like anyways.

“So, rough night…?” Sans asked again. Frisk shrugged again, glancing up as well.

  
  


“I called mom again. How is she? Still coming to the door?” Frisk asked, always worried about the monster queen. Sans hummed, nodding.

“Yeah. She seems tired some days, but she’s still cracking jokes with me...she uh...asks about you sometimes. I tell her whatever she wants to know. I think it makes her feel better…” He trailed off, sighing and rubbing the back of his skull.

“Thats good...Even if she doesn’t get my messages, at least she knows I’m doing okay” Frisk murmured, finishing their ciagarette and getting another. One more shouldn’t hurt…

“Yeah...uh. Sorry about earlier, kiddo. I remembered I had to get something back at the house. How’s your head?” Sans said awkwardly, not looking at the human. For a moment, Frisk didn’t speak. They quietly lit the cigarette and took a drag.

“Its fine. Grillby’s magic did the trick. There’s not even a scratch left over and my HP should be back up” Frisk said simply, not buying Sans’ lie at all. He wouldn’t tell them why he really left, so Frisk didn’t bother trying to ask.

“Good..That’s uh...good. Yeah…” The monster murmured, not saying anything else. The two of them sat in the cold silence. A wind brushed past them as Frisk finished the cigarette, tapping out the butt in the snow.

“I should get back” Frisk sighed, dusting their pants off. Sans stood up, reaching for Frisk. “I can short cut us bac-”

“No” Frisk took a quick step away from Sans, feeling guilt bubbling up again. The human forced a smile, putting their cigarettes back into their pocket. “I’ll just walk, its fine. Thanks for the offer...I’ll uh….see you when I get home”

Sans pulled his hand back as if he had been hurt. Still, his smile didn’t falter as he shoved it back into his pocket. Sans shrugged nonchalantly, walking past Frisk.

“Sure. See ya.” He said and was gone in a blink as usual.

Frisk relaxed visibly, thankful for the warm hum of magic flowing through their system. They would be panicing far worse without it. Chara gave them a look of concern, but Frisk just smiled and shook their head. Talking about Sans would just make the anxiety worse.

They had to get back to work.

* * *

A few days had passed since the incident in Grillby’s and Frisk had put it all to the back of their mind. Today was their day off and Sans being weird wasn’t about to clog up their thoughts and ruin it.

Brushing their teeth in the bathroom, Frisk hummed happily.

  
  


“ _ You’re really excited about this outing huh? Gyftmas isn’t  _ **_that_ ** _ cool”  _ Chara mused, perched on the edge of the sink. Frisk gave the spirit a look. Swishing water around their mouth, they spit into the sink and wiped their mouth off.

“Its important to me. Christmas on the surface was always...bad..really bad. This isn’t the same kind of holiday, so theres no bad memories with it. I take it really seriously and I want to make each one a good one...now help me think of what Papyrus might like this year. He’s shopping with me, Undyne, and Alphys and I have to look for stuff without making him suspious. I already know what I’m getting the others...well...minus Sans. I’m honestly hoping I just stumble across something for him” Frisk sighed, getting the brush to try and calm their hair.

_ “Ugh. I dunno, Frisk. He’d like anything you gave him. You could give him a pile of snow and he’d probably keep it like a treasure”  _ Chara groaned. Frisk couldn’t help but smile. Chara wasn’t one for stuff like this...they were always very reserved and pesimistic. It couldn’t be helped, really. The teen had died as well...a teen. They were stuck as a 15 year old with the personality they died with. They were just a mad and hurt kid and that was all they knew.

“You’re probably right. Well, maybe we can find something nice in the capital” Frisk grinned at the spirit. Chara huffed, but smiled a little.

“ _ Maybe”  _ They murmured, watching as Frisk looked over their outfit for the day. The capital was on the other side of Hotland, so it was usually a little warm. Frisk wore a mid length sleeved shirt with a black vest. It was a stiffer fabric, so Frisk didn’t have to worry about their chest. Finally they wore a pair of old ripped leggings. They were a few years old by now, but still fit pretty well. The boots Frisk usually wore were tied snugly on their feet. Maybe they should look for a new pair while they’re out. Those old things were starting to get worn down.

Frisk had their work shoes of course, but they only wore those to work. The last thing the human wanted was to mess them up by wearing them everywhere.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Frisk was surprised by Papyrus standing right outside the door. He was bouncing on his heels, his ripped and well loved scarf swaying with his movements

“There you are Frisk! Lets go already! You’re slower than Sans on a good day!” He said, making Frisk laugh. Even Sans seemed to chuckle from where he was lounged on the couch.

“Sorry Pap. I was trying to hurry. Ready to g-”

“Yes!” Papyrus didn’t let them finish their sentence as the skeleton just scooped Frisk up into his arms. Frisk, in turn, snorted as they laughed. The taller of the skeleton brothers was always so impaitent in the best ways when he was excited...and Gyftmas was his most excitable time of the year.

“We’ll be back brother! And pick up tha- Wha-? Sans! Why are there _two_ socks now!” Papyrus stopped mid stride, staring at the two socks laying side by side at the kitchen door. Sans snickered, grinning at them.

“Their long lost lovers, bro. How could I keep them seperated in different rooms? It was too cruel...completely…” His grin widened and Papyrus scowled.

  
  


“Sans-”

“un _ pair  _ to them!” Sans cackled, Frisk giggling softly. Papyrus had a long and empty stare at the older skeleton, turning slowly and leaving the house as Sans’ laughter only grew in volume. As they left, Papyrus was smiling just a little.

“Humph! My lazy brother and his puns...Oh well! Onward we go!” Papyrus said as he sat Frisk back on their feet. Frisk snickered and nodded with a grin.

“Lets go before Undyne comes looking for us” They suggested. Papyrus laughed and nodded in agreement. They were all supposed to meet up at Undyne’s house and then get Alphys at the lab. Usually one would stay at the others house, but the girlfriends had been at their respective homes the last few days.

Frisk had helped Undyne and Alphys get together nearly a year after living underground. The amalgam’s had completely slipped their mind in the confusion of the run and all its different aspects. However, once they got everything sorted out, things seemed okay. Frisk didn’t really see the amalgamates out that often. It was hard melding back into society after living in a dark and musty lab for so long. Most of them struggled with being around their own families, but it looked like things would be okay.

Arriving at the fish monster’s house, Undyne was already waiting outside. She was looking at her phone with a concerned look in her eyes. However, the look was gone the moment she noticed that Frisk and Papyrus were approaching. Immediately she was grinning.

“Hey punks! C'mere ya nerds!” She laughed as she put Papyrus into a headlock, giving him a noogie.

“Ack! Don’t noogie the skeleton!” The taller monster laughed, swatting at Undyne’s hands. Frisk laughed as Papyrus was released and they were grabbed. Only their hair was tousled, though.

“You too! Took you guys long enough. I was about to come and kick your butts for being late!” Undyne laughed as she let Frisk go. The shortest of the three snickered, fixing their hair.

“Sorry about that. We better not keep Alphys waiting” Frisk mused. Undyne’s smile dropped a little, but she pulled it back together.

“Oh- uh- Yeah! Totally. She should be ready by now” Undyne said glancing back to her phone. Frisk noticed this and frowned, curious and a little concerned.

“Is everything alright with you two…?” They asked, hoping that this wasn’t crossing any lines. Undyne looked up and smiled a little, but hesitated.

“Al’s been acting uh...a little weird lately is all. Everything’s fine, I’m sure. You know how it is with her. She gets all in her head and has a rough time. Its just one of those weeks, I guess.” She replied honestly.

“Oh…Well, in that case we should make this outing a wonderful one for her! To lift her spirits!” Papyrus piped in, easily raising the mood with his exuberant happiness. Frisk grinned and nodded in agreement. Udyne smiled a little and chuckled weakly.

  
  


“Thanks you guys. I’m glad I’ve got friends like you all. Lets go before we worry her” Undyne grinned again, heading off towards Hotland with the others.


	6. Authors Note (It's not over I promise!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The series isn't over, please read!

Hi everyone! Author here!

So I have the next chapter almost done, but it may be a little bit before it's done and posted.

Unfortunately, I'm experiencing a sever shift in hyper fixations and while im still very interested in Undertale, I can't focus on anything but YouTubers right now.

If you're unaware what a hyper fixation is, then count yourself lucky. A hyper fixation is something that neuro-divergent people deal with. 

Imagine a show you like. It's cool right? But you have other things you enjoy at the same time. With a hyper fixation, all you can think about is that show. You spend hours at a time watching it, looking up information about it, reading fanfics(if you like fanfics that is), looking at fanart(again if that's what you like), talking about the show. It takes over everything you do for days, weeks, months, maybe even years. It's debilitating, because there's other things you want to watch/do, but all you can focus on is that hyper fixation.

A lot of my fics get ignored for months or years depending on how long it takes me to start fixating on another fandom, so please don't be upset if it takes me awhile to get back to this. I really love this story! I'll do my absolute best to keep writing it, but I hope you can understand if it takes my a long time

Thank you ❤️


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